Telephone.



No.63I,27|. Patented Aug. 22, I899.

J. 11. BLACK.

TELEPHONE.

(Application filed Mar. 4, 1898. (No Model.) V 2 Shaets-Sheet I,

No. s3|,27|. Patented Aug. 22, I899.

.1. u. BLACK.

TELEPHONE.

(Apphcanon filed Mar. 4, 1893.) No Model. 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN Q. BLACK, OF LONE ROCK, IVISCONSIN.

TELEPHONE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 631,271, dated August22, 1899.

Application filed Marcli 4, 1898- Serial No. 672,485. (No model.) I

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN Q. BLACK, of Lone Rock, in the county ofRichland and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Telephones, of which the following is a description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part ofthis specification.

The object of my invention is to provide means in a telephone systemwhereby the sound transmitted by theimproved telephone and delivered tothe ear of the listener thereto is made much louder and more distinctthan it otherwise would be.

The invention consists otthe device and combination of devices ashereinafter described and claimed or their equivalents.

In the drawings, Figure l is a fragmentary diagram of a telephonesystem, showing especially so much of the devices and mechanism at onestation as are necessary to illustrate my improvement, which is shown inconnection therewith. Fig. 2 is a detail of the construction at theinneror binding post end of a telephone-receiver having my deviceattached thereto. Fig. 3 is ageneral diagram of that portionof atelephone system that is employed at one station thereof with myimprovement therewith.

In the drawings, A and A represent the apparatus at two stations, at agreater or less distance apart, of a telephone system.

B is the line-wire connecting the apparatus at the two telephonestations or boxes.

0 is the ground-wire, the equivalent of the return-wire in a closedsystem.

D is the transmitter, suitably connected to the telephone system.

E is the receiver, commonly connected to the telephone system by anauxiliary line-wire F and by an auxiliary ground-wire G. A cord X,attached to the receiver and secured to the telephone-case, holds thereceiver flexibly to the case and prevents undue strain on the electricconducting-wires. The groundwire G is continued through the wire G tothe secondary coil S, and from this coilan auxiliary wire 0 leads to thegroundwire C. A battery J is connected by a wire 0 to the transmitter Dand by the wire 0' to the primary induction-coil P. A wire It leads fromthe primary coil back to the battery J. The alarm-bells T T, thealarm-actuating crank U, and the circuit-closing lever V need not bespecifically described, as they are common in telephone systems and arenot directly involved in my invention.

To the foregoing-described apparatus as heretofore constructed I apply ashort-circuit 'or shunting wire H, which is in contact with and bound tothe ground-wire C at I or at some other convenient point on the distantside of the telephone-battery induction-coils and alarm devices at thetelephone-station and running therefrom to the inner end of the receiverE, at which point it is supported by a post K, fixed on the end of thereceiver. This shunting-wire H, at the post K, connects electricallywith the metal key L, having a terminal finger-piece. This key L ismounted in the post K and extends therefrom near to the auxiliaryground-wire G, adjacent to its support in a post M, fixed on the endofthe receiver E. The key L is elastic and is adapted by pressure of thefinger of the user of the telephone to be pressed against the wire G atthe point of its nearest approach thereto, (indicated in Fig. 2 at M.)The user of the telephone when receiving a message over the telephoneand having the receiver E at his ear presses the key L against the wireG, thereby making a short circuit from the receiver to the groundwire 0at the other side of the adjacent battery, coils, and alarm device, andthereby short-circuits or shunts the electric route, cutting out thesecondary-coil S normally in the circuit, the result being toconsiderably increase or intensify thesound of the message beingdelivered to or received by himfrom a distant transmitter. It will beunderstood that this cutting out of the inductioncoils and the batteryat the receiving-station on the line during the receiving of a messageover the line does not cut out or reduce the energy of the battery andinduction-coils present at the other or transmitting station, butinstead puts the line in condition to get the most direct circuit andefficient service from the battery andinduction-coils at the distantvstation, while the non-assisting and resisting energy of the longercircuit through the in duction-coils at the receiving-station is cut outand obviated. When it is desired to transmit a message from thisreceiving-station through the transmitter D to a distant station, thekey L must be released from con tact with the wire G, so as to put theinduction-coils and battery at this transmittingstation into thecircuit, or otherwise transmittal would be impossible.

It is well known that in telephone systems the electric circuit is insome cases made C0111- pletely by a return-wire serving to complete ametallic circuit and that in other cases a wire connecting the line-wireat its respective ends to the ground is employed, and thereby utilizingthe ground to complete the electric circuit as a return-conductor and asthe practical equivalent of the return-wire or complete metal electriccircuit. I have shown a ground-wire O, desiring that it be considered asa means of completing the electrical circuit by way of the ground and asthe equivalent as an electrical conductor of a metal return-wire, whichis not shown.

What I claim as my invention is In a telephone, the combination withalinewire, a receiver connected directly to the linewire and aground-wire leading away from the rear end of the receiver throughinduction-coils, of a shunt-wire leading from the rear end of thereceiver to the ground-wire at a point beyond theinduction-coils, and anelastic metal key on the receiver at its rear end in contact with theline-wire but normally out of contact with other Wires the key beingadapted by the pressure of the finger of the holder of the receiverthereon to be moved into contact temporarily with the shunt-wire therebyclosing the shunting-cil cuit.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN Q. BLACK.

Witnesses:

O. T. BENEDICT, A. L. MoRsELL.

